Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival

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Organizers of the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, gearing up for their 20th annual event this summer, expect the city to come alive with the sounds of beating drums, splashing water, jubilant paddlers, enthralled attendees, and music from some of today’s hottest artists — including Montreal’s own Sam Roberts Band.

The festival, scheduled for June 20-23 at Mooney’s Bay Park on Riverside Dr. in Ottawa, brings an exciting blend of dragon boat racing for all ages and skill levels in corporate, community and competitive categories. With more than 200 teams and more than 5,000 paddlers on the Rideau River, North America’s largest dragon boating event offers something for everyone. The festival is open to the public and there is no site admission fee.

In addition to Sam Roberts, concerts at the site will include Great Lake Swimmers, the Balconies, Devin Cuddy, Sam Cash and the Romantic Dogs, Kalle Mattson, Autumns Cannon, and the Joynt. “Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks, as we continue to unveil a number of special surprises for this year’s celebration,” said Antony Cooper, the festival’s artistic director. “We are pleased to be able to offer our audience the opportunity to see some of Canada’s most talented artists for free all weekend, as part of our annual festivities.”

More than 85,000 spectators are expected to converge at the park for the multi-day celebration of the arts, sports, culture and heritage. A Ferris wheel and carousel will add to the excitement, and the Tim Hortons Children’s Area will keep youngsters amused with the antics of L’il John the Clown, the Great Balanzo of Acme Circus, illusionist Chris Pilsworth, Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, the Canadian Raptor Conservancy’s Birds of Prey show, Radical Science, Paddling Puppeteers, Michael the Magician, and more.

More than 50 artisans and exhibitors will be centrally located near the Royal Oak Pubs Beer Garden, where attendees of legal age can enjoy one of Waterloo Brewing Co.’s tasty beverages—or they can head on over to the beach-side bar for a refreshing Seagram’s offering.

Crowds will be shocked and amazed at two astounding extreme sports shows from the Craz-E-Crew BMX Stunt Team and the Chris Clark Bicycle Stunt Show. “We are thrilled to be able to present a high-energy, worldclass, supercharged stunt show,” Cooper said.“The riders are always pushing to go bigger, faster and higher. Reaching heights of 20 feet above ground, they showcase the most difficult and daring of stunts.”

But dragon boats are the raison d’être for this festival. Last year, with strong support from the paddling community, festival sponsors, grant recognition from all levels of government, and the extremely hard work of some very dedicated volunteers, the festival experienced unprecedented success. Building on that success, “the 20th annual festival is shaping up to be our largest ever,” said John Brooman, festival CEO.“We are excited to offer such a diverse group of quality performers —our most exciting entertainment lineup so far — and hope families join us for all the fun at theTim Hortons Children’s Area.

“We will also be hosting our first ever Tiki Beach Gala and, as always, there will be non-stop dragon boat racing.” Teams come from across the country, including from Montreal, as well as from Boston, Philadelphia and Vermont to compete in the races.

In addition to enjoying the fun, paddlers and attendees raise funds to support the seven local charities of the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation: the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa Charitable Foundation, ArtsSmarts, Bruyère Foundation, CHEO Foundation, Debra Dynes Family House, Ottawa Humane Society, and the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research. In 1998, festival co-founder Warren Creates brought the idea of a pledge challenge to the board of directors, resulting in a fundraising campaign with paddlers collecting pledges while participating in the festival. To date, the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation has raised about $3 million in support of 29 charities.

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